Clauses:

1. In submitting an Application for a BCI Research Foundation grant award you are vouching that you will be designated as the Lead Researcher for the project for which you are applying for a grant award.

2. You agree that you are entering into a contract between the BCI Research Foundation and the organization by which you are employed or are affiliated with (hereafter referred to as The Organization). In doing so you acknowledge that you have the authority and necessary permissions from The Organization.

3. The BCI Research Foundation provides grants of up to GBP 10,000  / USD 12,000 to support a new research project, which must be completed within a six month period from the Agreed Start Date. The Agreed Start Date will be established after the acceptance of your RFP in collaboration between yourself and the BCI Research Foundation.

4. Applications for a grant award must be made via the BCI Research Foundation RFP application form – no other forms of application will be accepted. Applications received after the set deadline date will be rejected.

5. Applications will be considered by the BCI Research Foundation’s Steering Committee and a short list will be drawn up. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by the Steering Committee, using an online communications platform, prior to a final decision being made. The decision of the Steering Committee is final and no appeals will be accepted. Steering Committee decisions will be structured by the Evaluation Criteria set out in the application form. Should it be felt that there are grounds for a complaint of improper procedure this must be conducted under the Complaints and Grievance Process set out in section 14 of this document.

6. As Lead Researcher, you agree to accept the decision of the Steering Committee as to the suitability of the proposal for a grant and you confirm that you understand that, while the Steering Committee will use best endeavours to provide feedback on all applications, there is no requirement to do this and it may not always be possible.

7. To receive a grant award Lead Researchers must agree to provide three distinct Required Outputs, in the English language:

• A research paper of at least 5,000 words, plus an abstract and references. 
• A summary for professionals: an approximately 1,000 word summary of the key points from the research for BCI members and other practitioners. This needs to focus on the practical outcomes from the research and how practitioners can use these outcomes to inform their day-to-day professional roles.
• A  presentation, followed by a 30 minute Q and A session, at a BCI Research Foundation Conference, on the date set out in the application form.

8. In any other agreed outputs or publications the BCI Research Foundation must be acknowledged for the provision of the grant that made the research possible. Written agreement must be given by the BCI Research Foundation prior to publication of the results of the supported research project in any journal other than CRR and in any other outlet except BCI publications. Written agreement can be requested by emailing David Honour, BCI Research Foundation Lead, at [email protected]

9. Grant awards must be used solely for the research project set out in the application form and cannot be transferred or used for a different purpose.

10. Grant awards can be used to support the Lead Researcher’s or research team’s time, research assistance, survey or other data collection costs, data purchase or storage, travel, and other reasonable research expenses. The expected costs must be set out in the application form, tracked during the project, and confirmed at the completion of the project. Spending during the research project should be reasonably inline with the costs set out in the application form. Any significant variations must be agreed in advance with the BCI Research Foundation by emailing David Honour, BCI Research Foundation Lead, at [email protected]

11. The grant award payment process will start following receipt of a fully executed, signed, and dated contract from The Organization. Payments will be made in four tranches after receipt of an official invoice from The Organization for each tranche. The four tranches will be as follows:

• One quarter paid before research commences.
• One quarter paid after a check-in interview with the BCI Research Foundation Steering Committee two months into the project. This interview will confirm progress on the research and that the costs are in-line with expectations.
• One quarter paid after completion of the project and acceptance of the research outputs by the Steering Committee.
• One quarter after presentation of the research outputs at the BCI Research Foundation Conference. 

12. The BCI Research Foundation reserves the right to suspend or terminate grant payments in the following circumstances: i) Should there be any breach of these terms and conditions by the Lead Researcher or The Organization; ii) If the Lead Researcher becomes unable, for any reason, to carry out the work funded by the grant; or (iii )if the Lead Researcher fails to fulfil any of the outputs required under this contract.

13. In submitting an application form you confirm that all information contained in the form is true and you accept that you may be personally legally liable for any untrue information. The BCI Research Foundation reserves the right to take legal action against the Lead Researcher and/or The Organization to recover grant payments made and to obtain payment of legal costs and other associated damages should it become clear that untrue information was submitted in an application form.

14. Complaints and Grievance Process: any complaints related to your application, the RFP process, or any other action of the BCI Research Foundation and those associated with it should follow the complaints and grievance process set out at https://www.thebci.org/about-bci/governance.html 

15. Conflict of Interests: the application form requires the Lead Researcher to explain how it has been determined that there are no conflicts of interest which could arise from making a grant application. Should a conflict of interest become apparent at any stage during the period covered by this contract you must advise the BCI Research Foundation immediately by emailing David Honour, BCI Research Foundation Lead, at [email protected]

16. Copyright: the format and content of publication of the research outputs in the CRR Journal and in other BCI publications will be copyright Emerald Publishing and the BCI, respectively. Otherwise, copyright is retained by the author(s) of the research unless it has explicitly been assigned to a third party through the signing of a written copyright transfer agreement. A copyright transfer agreement requires the written permission of the BCI Research Foundation before the execution of such an agreement. 

17. Data protection: in the RFP application form the Lead Researcher must explain how data protection laws will apply to the research project and how these will be complied with. If you become aware of any data protection breaches associated with the work carried out in relation to a BCI Research Foundation grant award you must advise the BCI Research Foundation immediately by emailing David Honour, BCI Research Foundation Lead, at [email protected]

18. Equality and Diversity Policy: the BCI Research Foundation is committed to providing equal opportunity for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, religion, disability, ethnic origin, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, political persuasion, or trades union activity.  This commitment will be informed by current UK legislation. In applying for a grant award from the BCI Research Foundation the Lead Researcher and The Organization commit to ensure that the involvement of any person in the related research project is appointed without bias in any way and that they will not be subject to unfair treatment in any way.

19. Jurisdiction: this agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales and each party agrees to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.